Means for attaching bottoms



E. W. LITTLE Sept. 12, 1933.

vMEANS FOR ATTACHING BOTTOMS, FANS, AND THE LIKE TO CAGE STRUCTURESFiled March 2 1931 F' la. J.

211 EGEL. W L/rT/.s

Yllaimznted Sept. 12, 1933 UNITED- STATES" MEANS Foa A'r'rlwinne'Bor'roMa PANs, Y AND THE Lina To (man sranc'ruars Earl Little,Indianapolis`,'lnd., Application March 42, l19,31.V Serial No.`519,451 zolaimjs. (orne- 17) This invention relates to means for attachingbottoms, pans and the like to cage structures and is designed primarilyfor use in connection with bird cages and one feature of the inventionis the 5 provision of means for hingedly attaching the bottom formingportion of the cage structure to the body portion thereof.

A further feature of Athe invention .is the provision of means for`retaining the bottom forming portion in closed position.

A further feature ofthe invention is `the provision of means forretaining a pan vstructure Within the lowerportion of the cagestructure.

A further feature of the invention is the .provision of `means forconcealing from view the means for retaining the bottom forming elementin closed position.`

Other objects and advantages will be hereinafter more fully set forthand pointed` out in the accompanying specification.

In the accompanying drawing which is made` a part of this application,

Figure 1 is an elevation of the lower portion of a cage structure. y

Figure 2 is an enlarged diagrammatic transverse sectional representationthereof, constructed upon a plane indicated by line 2-2 of Fig. 1, l

indicating the bottom forming portion in open position by dotted linesand showing the cage structure only where Vitfintersects the plane.

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail sectional view of the hinge portion ofthe device, and,

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional View as seen along line 4 4, Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawing the numeral 1 indicates the lower portion of acage structure, within the lower end of which is placed a band 2, havingat its top edge an inwardly projecting ledge 3, saidrband 2 beingsubstantially inverted Lshaped in cross section.

Cooperating with the lower end of the cage Vstructure 1` is a bottomforming member 4, which may be of any preferred design and configurartion, said bottom forming member having a petripheral flange 5, of adiameter to enter the band 2, when the bottom forming member 4 is inclosed position.

InY order to hingedly attach the bottom forming member 4 to the cagestructure 1'a bracket 6 isconnected in any suitable manner tothe innerface `of the band 2 and beneath the ledge 3, said bracket having atongue 7, which is adapted to be bent substantially J-shaped vwith thefree end thereof projecting upwardly through a slot 8 in the flange 5for hinging the bottom forming member 4to the bracket In order toprevent the bottom forming member .4 from casually releasing from thetongue 7, the ends 9 of the bracket 6 are bent inwardly at rightanglesjto the vface rof the bracket andV over the flange 5, said ends 9being substantially tri-angular shaped to provide inclined edges Y10.

In order toholdthe'bottom `forming member 4 in closedposition,a.1atch,11 is placed at the edge of the cagel forming structure1 opposite the bracket 6, said latchbeing carried byan ornamental post12, the upper portion of-which is attachedinany suitable manner to thecage structure l and at a point adjacent tothe upperr end ofthe post 12,as by means of Va pin or rivet 13, thus leavingvthe lower end of thep'ost in `position to be swung'outwardly for releasingvthe latch l1 fromthe flange 5 of :the bottom forming member 4. The post 12 is normallyheld inwardly sc as to maintain the latch 11 in position beneath .thevflange 5, for'holding the bottom forming section in closed position, bymeans of a spring 14, said spring being spiraled around a` stem 15,carried by the post 12, said stem 15 projecting `through the wall of thecage structure 1 and having a head 16 at its inner Vend which confinesthe spring on the stem and causes The distance between the ange 5 andlateral l' ,f

extensionlS is such that by releasing the vout,- Ward pull on the lowerend of the` post 12,. as soon as the flange 5 has released therefrom,the latch 11 will pass beneath the extension 18 and retain the panwithin-theV connes'of thercage structure until the latch is again moved`out of the path thereof. In entering the pan structure 17 into the cagestructure or body v1, one edge of the; extension 18 is first restedagainst the inclined edges 10 of the bracket 6 and edgewise pressureapplied to the pan, which will cause the pan to 'slide upwardly on theinclined edges of the ends 9 and assume a position below the ledge 3 andby forcing the "opposite edge of the pan structure past the latch 11,the. pan lstructure will be held in fixed positionY within the cagestructure until such time aslthe bottom forming portion 4 may be swungto closed position and engaged with the latch l1. l

In removing thev pan structure from the cage for cleansing or otherpurposes, the lower end of the post i2 is moved outwardly until thelatch 11 isrclear of the flange 5 and extension 13, when the bottomforming portion 4 may be lowered at its latching edge until the panstructure 4may be slid between the bottom forming element 4 and thelower edge of the cage structure land the pan may be removed withoutmaterially dis,

y With this' form of device, the latch structure as-Well as the hingestructure willrbe entirely concealed from casual view, thus enhancingthe ornamental effect of the cage structure and by forming the hinge asshown, the bottom forming member may be easily attached to the body vofthe cage, or may be easily detached therefrom,

It will likewise be seen that the ends 9 of the bracket 6,Y which extendat right angles to the face of the bracket, will prevent the bottomformin'g member 4 from casually disengaging from the tongue '7, when thetongue is properly bent inwardly after .being entered through the slot8.

VIn detaching the bottom forming member 4, from the cage rstructure l,itis but necessary to bend outwardly the free endof the tongue '7 untilit will release from the slot.

The bottom of the pan structure V11V is prefl crably depressed to formrounded shoulder 19, which will engage the edge ofgthe bottom formingmember 4, when the member 4 is released and starts to descend, thuspreventing the pan frominstantly sliding off the bottom the instant thebottom is rst released from the latch 11.

If desired, a spring member 20 may be attached ytotherband 2 withitslfree end curved and en- -a general way certain instrumentalitieswhich may be employed infcariying the invention into elect, it isevident that many modifications may 'be made in the various detailswithout departing from the scope of the appended claims, it beingunderstood that the invention is not restricted to the particularexamples herein described.

What I claim is:

`1. The combination with the body of a cage structure, of a vbottomforming member hinged thereto, a pan structure adapted to` be entered insaid cage structure, and a latch member adapted Vto retain either thebottom forming member or pan structure in closed relation with the cagestructure. Y

' 2. The combination with the body of a cage anda bottom forming lmemberhinged thereto, of alatch whichserves to engage and support said bottomforming member inclosedposition,

av hood structure serving to conceal and carry vsaid latch into and outof engaging position,l a

spring means serving to `swing said hood and latch into engagedposition, and means to conceal said spring from casual view.

` Y EARL W. LITTLE.

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